Qatar ruler warns Israel of Arab Spring fallout

Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani predicts new Arab governments will put pressure on the Jewish state over its Palestinian, nuclear policies

20 May 2012, 3:28 pm Edit

Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani at the World Economic Forum in 2011 (photo credit: CC BY SA World Economic Forum, Flickr)

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar’s ruler says Israel is more isolated by the Arab Spring and will face increasing pressures over issues such as its presumed nuclear arsenal.

Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani urged Israel’s leaders to view the Middle East uprisings as an opportunity for serious peace talks with Palestinians.

The fall of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak last year wiped away Israel’s main Arab ally, and Qatar’s emir predicts the region’s new governments will press Israel harder over its policies, including a widely suspected nuclear arms program.

Israel has never confirmed or denied whether it has atomic weapons.

Qatar’s emir spoke Sunday at the opening of the Doha Forum, an international political affairs conference.